“Called freaks”: twin sisters starred in a TV show

Twin sisters from Irkutsk with a rare diagnosis became the heroines of a TV show

Twin sisters from Irkutsk, Anastasia and Anna Ivanov, have a rare diagnosis that prevents them from walking even a hundred meters, as their legs lose balance due to muscle weakness. About how they became the heroines of the project “I am ashamed of my body”, said site KP.RU.

The twins are now 28 years old, they were born in Baikalsk. Both were born with two fused fingers.

When the girls were 10 years old, the first problems began. So, in physical education classes it was hard to run, there was a stabbing pain in the feet. Shopping for new shoes turned into a real test.

At the age of 12, it became completely unbearable to endure inconvenience while driving. And the grandmother took the girls to the doctor, who diagnosed them with equinovarus feet. Classmates called them “freaks, snails, disabled women,” the girls recall. Moreover, not only peers, but also adults bullied.

The sisters graduated from the 9th grade and entered the art college as a decorator-designer. They now paint paintings to order and make souvenirs from colored clay.

In 2021, Anastasia decided to apply to the program “I am ashamed of my body” by filling out a questionnaire. Soon, the producers of the TV channel contacted her.

Literally a month later, the film crew flew to Irkutsk to record the history of their life and illness. After some time, the girls went to Moscow. Filming continued throughout the year. Throughout this time, the Ivanovs traveled to the capital for consultations and examinations. Doctors immediately determined that they had not an osteopathic, but an incurable genetic disease. Namely, Charcot Marie Tooth’s disease.

Doctors on the set offered two methods of treatment at once, and both involved surgery. But improvements from operations were not guaranteed, they could not promise. In addition, Siberians would need about a year to recover. “Each of them has a small child in their arms – this is an unaffordable luxury,” the article notes. The editors of the program nevertheless offered one of the sisters to agree to the operation, but the twins refused.

“Thanks to our participation in the project, we were able to find out about the real diagnosis,” Anna said. “Met a father whom we had not seen before.”

Returning home, the girls took up their appearance. So, they picked up a new style of clothing, thanks to which you can hide the features of their legs. The sisters also examined their children in order to pay attention to changes in their bodies in time. Thanks to the correct diagnosis, the Siberians also managed to get disability.

Anna and Anastasia planned that in 10 years they would still have an operation.